Hip Replacement Recall: Metal Toxicity (Cobalt & Chromium)

Hip Replacement Recall

Metal Toxicity – Cobalt and Chromium Poisoning

Have you had hip replacement surgery? Has your hip replacement been recalled? One big issue that is often overlooked in the hip replacement recall discussion is metal toxicity, or more specifically cobalt poisoning or chromium poisoning.

As you know from the tuna fish debate about heavy metal toxicity, in that case involving mercury, heavy metals in the body are bad news. They cause a whole lot of health problems, and also affect the brain.

The Metal Toxicity and Hip Recall Connection

The connection between the hip recall cases, especially in the case of the DePuy hip recall and Zimmer hip replacement recall, part of the problem is that the implants themselves are constructed of metal, so as people walk, metal rubs on metal.

And unfortunately, this causes metal ions to be released into the blood stream. Since the metals involved are especially cobalt and chromium, those two metals are the culprits to look for.

Metal Toxicity

What are the symptoms of metal poisoning?

If you’re looking for a list of symptoms that would let you off the hook, you’ll be sorely disappointed. Yes, there are symptoms, and yes, if you have them, you definitely need to have your blood checked for the levels of the affected metals, i.e., cobalt and chromium.

However, just because you don’t have those symptoms don’t think you’re off the hook. You aren’t.

If you have an implant with the metal on metal technology, you need to be tested whether you have symptoms or not.

That’s because those symptoms may be subtle, and they may also take a long time to develop, time during which they can do considerable damage to your health.

Just think about high blood pressure in comparison. Or even diabetes. Both of these diseases wreak havoc on your health, yet both of them are largely asymptomatic for most people, at least for a VERY long time. That’s why we have them tested routinely so that they can be caught early enough, i.e., before they have caused irreparable damage.

And if caught early, you can do something about them, i.e., bring down the blood pressure and the sugar levels, which will either halt some of the damage that may already be under way or even reverse it.

Metal toxicity works the same way. You need to catch it BEFORE it has caused too much damage (or even any damage). But the thing is that most doctors do not check for it routinely.

The only way you are going to be checked for metal toxicity is by insisting on it. And you’re only going to insist on it if you know that you need to ask for it, that you’re at risk for it.

So before even giving you a list of metal toxicity symptoms, let me just emphasize that symptoms aren’t necessary for you to be poisoned by heavy metals, specifically cobalt and chromium. Or mercury, if you eat too much tuna.

So if you have a Depuy ASR implant or a Zimmer durom cup implant or any other metal on metal implant, insist on having your metal levels checked regularly.

Metal Toxicity Symptoms

Here are just some of the metal toxicity symptoms:

Fatigue, nausea, problems with balance and memory, and also more specific symptoms, such as tinnnitus, vertigo, vision and hearing problems, headaches, and more.

As you can see, these are all conditions that can be due to all sorts of things, so they are not reliable indicators whether or not you are affected by metal toxicity or chromium or cobalt poisoning. And their absence does not mean much either.

You MUST get tested!

So go ahead and get tested. And if you do have one of the recalled implants, you also should get some legal advice, and be sure to do so in time to get help before the statute of limitations expires.

You really need more information about how to get hip replacement recall help as soon as possible. In fact, whether or not you have metal toxicity symptoms, if you have an implant that can cause problems, you must get advice.

In order to help you get started, we’ve written a special report about the seven most common mistakes people make that can sabotage their hip replacement recall case. You can claim it here: